What Took Root: Reflections on Our First Season as a Berks County Farm

At the beginning of this season, so much of Wolfe Hill Farm existed as plans.

There were garden beds to prepare, seeds to start, flowers to plant, bees to welcome, chicks to raise and an orchard beginning another growing season. We had plans for our first CSA, a farmstand, events and new ways to invite people onto the property.

Here in Berks County, our first full season gave us the opportunity to begin turning that vision into a working farm rooted in food, stewardship and community.

We knew what we hoped Wolfe Hill Farm could become.

What we didn't know was what would actually take root.

Growing Food Was Only the Beginning

Our first growing season taught us quickly that farming rarely follows a perfect plan.

Some crops thrived. Others didn't. Harvests came all at once when we weren't expecting them, while other things made us wait. We learned what people reached for at the farmstand, what our CSA members enjoyed and how much work happens between planting a seed and handing someone something grown here.

There were vegetables, herbs, flowers, eggs and preserved foods moving through the farm throughout the season. There were also plenty of moments when we had to adjust, rethink an idea or simply accept that nature had a different plan.

That may have been one of the most valuable lessons of our first year: a plan is important, but so is knowing when to change it.

Our first CSA gave us the opportunity to build relationships with people who chose to make Wolfe Hill Farm part of their weekly routine. Seeing our shares sell out during our first season was incredibly encouraging, but what mattered even more was knowing that people were choosing to support a small local farm and eat with the seasons alongside us.

Then People Started Coming to the Farm

One of the biggest surprises of the season wasn't something that came out of the garden.

It was seeing people begin to experience the farm itself.

Through pollinator walks, guided farm walks, bouquet bars, photography sessions and seasonal events, we started welcoming more people onto the property.

Some came to learn about pollinators. Some came to gather flowers. Some came for photographs, food or an afternoon outside.

And slowly, our understanding of Wolfe Hill Farm began to change.

We realized that what we were growing wasn't limited to what could be harvested from a field.

The farm could also be a place where people slowed down, learned something new, met a local producer, shared a meal or simply spent time outside.

Gathering Around the Table

Our farm-to-table dinners brought another part of that vision to life.

There is something special about sitting down for a meal in the same landscape where food is being grown.

But those evenings also reminded us that "local food" extends far beyond the boundaries of one farm.

Our dinners brought together ingredients and contributions from other local farms, growers, makers and producers. Each collaboration added another piece to the experience and gave us an opportunity to introduce our guests to more of the people behind the food being produced in our region.

Those evenings helped reinforce something we came to understand throughout the year: A small farm doesn't have to do everything itself to create something meaningful.

Sometimes the best things happen when people bring what they do well to the same table.

A Berks County Farm Rooted in Community

If there is one thing we underestimated going into this season, it was how important relationships would become.

We met other farmers, makers, small-business owners, photographers, chefs, educators, community organizations and people who simply wanted to support something happening close to home.

Some became collaborators. Some became customers. Some became friends.

Organizations such as the Kutztown University Small Business Development Center and B.A.R.N. opened doors to resources, connections and opportunities. Local media helped share our story with people who had never heard of Wolfe Hill Farm before.

From BCTV to WFMZ and our KU SBDC Success Story, seeing the farm's story travel beyond our own property was something we never could have fully anticipated when we were preparing garden beds earlier in the year.

Each opportunity introduced us to someone new. And many of those introductions led somewhere else.

Taking Care of the Place That Makes It Possible

While much of this year was about building a business, the reason behind Wolfe Hill Farm has always included something deeper, taking care of this piece of land.

Our pollinator habitat, Monarch Waystation, wildlife habitat, apiary, orchard, gardens and woodland are all connected.

Watching bees work the flowers, seeing butterflies move through the fields or noticing wildlife using habitat we've intentionally protected is a quieter part of farming than a busy event or a full farmstand.

But it is just as important.

We want Wolfe Hill Farm to demonstrate that agriculture, conservation and community don't have to exist separately.

They can support one another.

And as we continue developing the farm, stewardship will remain part of how we make decisions about what comes next.

Not Everything Worked—and That's Part of the Story

It would be easy to look back at photographs from this season and see only the highlights.

But farming doesn't happen in highlights.

There were crops that failed.

There were events that didn't draw the attendance we hoped for.

There were ideas that sounded great on paper but became much more complicated once we tried to execute them.

There were long days, changing plans, weather concerns, things that needed harvesting when there wasn't enough time and plenty of moments when we wondered whether we had taken on too much.

And there were lessons.

Lots of them.

We learned more about where our time is best spent. We learned what people respond to. We learned which ideas deserve more attention, and which ones may need to be reconsidered.

Most importantly, we learned that changing direction isn't the same thing as failing.

Sometimes it is simply part of figuring out what works.

Seeing the Orchard Full

As the season moved into fall, we had one of those moments that made us stop and look around.

During Fall in the Orchard, the property was filled with people.

Families were walking through the orchard. Children were painting and creating. Animals were drawing plenty of attention. Local friends and collaborators were sharing what they do. Photographs were being taken. People were eating, talking and spending an afternoon together on the farm.

It was the kind of scene we had imagined when we first started talking about opening Wolfe Hill Farm to the community.

Except now it was actually happening.

Looking across the orchard that day, it was hard not to think about how different the property felt from the beginning of the season.

The trees hadn't moved.

The barn was still the same barn.

The fields were still the same fields.

But something had changed.

People had begun creating memories here.

What Took Root

As we move into the final months of our first year, we’ve been taking time to reflect on just how much has happened since spring.

There are garden beds we want to improve, things we want to grow differently, experiences we'd like to expand and plenty of ideas still waiting their turn.

But we're also trying not to rush past what happened this year.

Because when we look back on our first season, the biggest harvest may not be something we can put into a basket.

We planted vegetables, herbs and flowers.

But relationships took root too.

New traditions began.

Partnerships formed.

People connected with this land.

And somewhere along the way, our own understanding of Wolfe Hill Farm became clearer.

We started the season knowing what we wanted to grow.

We're ending it with a much better understanding of why we're growing it.

While the main growing season may be changing with the weather, Wolfe Hill Farm isn’t closing its doors. Our farmstand remains open daily until posted otherwise, and there is still plenty happening here as we move through fall and into the colder months.

To everyone who stopped at the farmstand, joined our CSA, attended an event, shared a post, collaborated with us, offered advice, told a friend about the farm or simply encouraged us along the way—thank you.

You became part of our first season too.

And we can't wait to see what grows from here.